Best Special Law
Enforcement Films List

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Last Updated: 2/14/25
Note: It's simple and straightforward: the best of the best in special law enforcement cinema history. In order to qualify, the film has received a rating of at least '7' from me and then must also meet the following criteria:

1. The main characters are not cops, intelligence officers, or part of the military but members of the FBI, Treasury Department, Secret Service, U.S. Marshals, etc.
2. They are primarily involved a majority of the time, working on a case, going after the bad guys, or are being investigated.

Any film that focuses on cops goes to Best Cop Films List instead. Those that deal with intelligence are also redirected to Best Espionage Films List. Private detectives don't count, but bounty hunters are fine. Multiple parts (i.e. duology, trilogy, etc.) can be put together as one if there's a continuation in the narrative. Miniseries and telefilms are fair game, but anything made after the year 2000 and documentaries are excluded.

These films have shown brilliance in most, if not all, aspects: acting, characters, screenplay, plot, direction, editing, cinematography, and so on. They must also be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Then, I think about cultural phenomenon, uniqueness, famous movie moments, iconic scenes and/or lines, cinematic power, and timelessness.

This list is based on what I have seen so far and is limited to the top 10 with 5 honorable mentions in that order and some, if any, notable exceptions to the rule. While ranking the films, I am simultaneously thinking about special law enforcement before quality and quality before special law enforcement.




  1. Manhunter (1986)

  2. "It's just you and me now, sport." Forget The Silence of the Lambs. Manhunter is the original. If you want to understand the word "genius," look no further than the "Moment of the Truth" scene when Will Graham began to figure out the identity of the killer. It's brilliant stuff. In reality, a serial killer can remain elusive for years. Logging hundreds of thousand hours, it only takes one trivial piece of evidence or sheer luck like a routine motor vehicle violation for the detectives to catch him finally.


  3. Blade Runner (1982)

  4. It goes without saying you'll never see anything like Blade Runner which is a Philip K. Dick adaptation just like Total Recall. What an amazing job by everybody for making it in 1981. It's a stunning accomplishment, indeed. The story is simple: Harrison Ford is a Blade Runner and his job is to kill robots, called Replicants, who have illegally come to Earth. That's the whole movie.


  5. Point Break (1991)

  6. There are few films that are as exciting and inspiring as Point Break. I bet if anyone watched the movie just once, he may have entertained some thoughts about changing his entire lifestyle. Bodhi perfectly describes the truth-seeking experience: "Pure adrenaline, right?!? The ultimate rush. Other guys snort for it, jab a vein for it...all you gotta do is jump." Sounds pretty simple, eh? Patrick Swayze did the skydiving stunts and is thus captivating. It's easy to realize it in Johnny Utah's eyes when he saw what Bodhi could do.


  7. To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

  8. William Friedkin sure knows how to make exciting movies. There are many compelling elements in To Live and Die in L.A., and the biggest of them all is William Petersen's supercharged performance. Of course, Michael Mann saw so much talent that he had to have him again for Manhunter. Then, there's the young Willem Dafoe in a brilliant, chilling role as Eric Masters.


  9. The Fugitive (1993)

  10. Tommy Lee Jones is the master of organization, telling people to get on it and do their jobs and refusing to take no for an answer. That's why he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor although he was in a leading role. Harrison Ford is brilliant as Dr. Richard Kimble while Andreas Katsulas will always be that one-armed guy.


  11. The Untouchables (1987)

  12. The Untouchables is an exquisitely shot picture. Two key scenes are the main reasons for its high replayability value. Also, a lot of it has to do with Kevin Costner, Billy Drago, and Robert De Niro for giving excellent performances. A much-deserved Oscar nomination went to the Costume Design team that's led by Marilyn Vance.


  13. Executive Decision (1996)

  14. Executive Decision may be 133 minutes long, but the editing is so good that time isn't a factor. It's about the suspense and what the best course of action should be. In other words, it's a thinking man's picture. Hence, Stuart Baird deserves praise for his vision.


  15. Traffic (2000)

  16. Benicio del Toro is the reason to watch this film over and over. It's such a classy performance that ends with his character watching a kids baseball game and knowing what he had done. It's not easy to turn a film with many competing storylines into an outstanding picture, but Steven Soderbergh, who's always been a top-notch director in his own right, accomplished this feat which led to an Oscar win for him.


  17. Citizen X (1995)

  18. Shot on location in Hungary, Citizen X is the story of how an infamous serial killer was captured in the USSR which took many years due to bureaucrats and limitations in technology and manpower. What's not revealed is after investigating over 150,000 citizens, the authorities incidently solved more than 1,000 unrelated crimes including 95 murder and 245 rape cases. Now, that's what you call "looking at the bright side of a negative situation."


  19. In the Line of Fire (1993)

  20. Frank Horrigan has one job to do, and that's to stop John Malkovich from stealing the scenes. It's a good story which includes a tie-in with the JFK's assassination. To add authenticity to In the Line of Fire, it's the first time ever the Secret Service offered its full cooperation during the making of the picture.




Honorable Mentions: The Border (1982), Betrayed (1988), Midnight Run (1988), White Sands (1992), and Donnie Brasco (1997)

Notable Exceptions: None